Dreamview Weekly Roundup #33

All Hallows’ Dreams: Ghost Train is out, and so is our secret: thanks to an extremely rude Halloween curse, we’ve been transformed into a giant spider. Not great. Of course, loyal readers of the Dreamview Weekly Roundup may have picked up on this strange turn of events in advance. What can we say? We’re an open book. Or blog.

Still, the recent accusations of our “unconscious bias” are a little much. It is purely coincidental that October’s Roundups have featured more and more arachnid-themed creations, and we don’t appreciate anyone suggesting otherwise. There are just a lot of high-quality spider-based dreams out there, folks. Please enjoy this week’s completely neutral suggestions as to what to check out in Dreams this weekend.

Mr. Dream#

by dOoObface and Bella_Iris

We’ve all got that one friend who caresses our face with spider-like fingers while we sleep, haven’t we? Classic Jerry. This horrifying animated short foregrounds the voice-acting talents of Bella_Iris, who recites a gloriously creepy poem about her enigmatic friend Mr. Dream in a cute, conspiratorial almost-whisper - before we’re shown his visit to her room in the middle of the night. dOoObface’s masterful stringed horror score ratchets up the tension as Mr. Dream bends his angular body, bringing his bloodshot eyes and needle teeth right up close to the sleeping child’s blissfully unaware face - and even tasting a little blood - before stealing out as silently as he came in. Good luck sleeping after this one.

Arachne#

by PrincessIvy

Joining a long and noble tradition of powerful arachnid women in videogames (shoutouts to Quelaag, Muffett and Mimi) is Arachne. Decked out in her black, white and orange Halloween finery, with a haircut to strike fear - and maybe hunger? - in the hearts of all who behold her, she’s an eye- (and fly-) catching character. That’s before you realise she can climb walls, as well as transform from her spider form to her human form with the press of a button - an ability of which we are particularly envious. This handy puppet showcase has a lovely bonus: it’s soundtracked by one of our favourite songs from the Dreamiverse, OMG_its_Adrian’s acoustic marvel We’ll Meet Again, which honestly wouldn’t sound out of place on a Life Is Strange soundtrack.

Spider In My Bathtub#

by BonfireKnight69

Creator BonfireKnight69 describes Spider In The Bathtub as “some low-tier, absolutely awful, why-even-bother animation”. We think they’re being ungenerous: just because the assets are taken from the Dreamiverse, and the animation is fairly basic stuff, doesn’t mean that they didn’t nail what they set out to do with their clever assembly of this musical comedy short. This creator’s keen sense of timing, amateurish chosen aesthetic and surrealist humour makes this tale of somebody discovering a spider in their bathtub laugh-out-loud funny. Not to mention their musical prowess: the tune the action plays out to is BonfireKnight69’s original creation, and is unironically excellent.

Web Surfing#

by SgtRex7

There’s an undeniable sense of momentum to this synthy hidden gem of a track, which layers saw pads over a thumping drum beat and bassline. Twinkly melodies played on chimes keep the feeling of movement playful; when the tune evolves through epic, echoing pianos at the halfway point, things almost threaten to get emotional. This sounds like speeding through a buzzing cityscape, through electric wires, across a vibrating spider’s web - an eclectic soundtrack just begging to be paired with a high-velocity game of some sort.

Out Of Gas#

by UglySofaGaming

Looking for a heart-pounding horror game to play this Halloween? Well, first of all, the Dreams coMmunity has a few recommendations it would like you to consider. But beyond that, might we suggest the hair-raising experience that is Out Of Gas? Stranded on a stretch of road notorious for the disappearances of 22 people, things take a turn for the (even) worse once your boyfriend vanishes during a routine petrol retrieval mission, and you must leave the safety of the car to find him. The smooth transitions from gameplay to cutscenes, and dramatic in-scene text pop-ups heralding certain events and clues, help create the uncanny feeling that you’re playing an interactive indie horror film. With twists, turns and tonnes of unsettling detail - the spooky ‘hot and cold’ notes, the mischievous audio design, the way headstones seem purposefully designed to look like shadowy figures precisely at the scariest point of the narrative - this is a short, sharp shock that’s not to be missed. And guess what? No spiders - or references to spiders - anywhere in this one. “Biased”, hmm? Bet you feel silly now.

Want an easy way to view all of these creations in one convenient collection? Check out the playable version of this week's Dreamview Weekly Roundup right here in Dreams!